Chair attachment.



E. L. BROAD & F. H.' ORCUTT. l CHAIR' ATTAUHMENT.

"APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19, 1903.

901,065;` Patented oet. 13, .1908.

UNITED sTATEs EATENT oEEroE.

HARRY L. BROADAND FREDERICICH. ORCUTT, OF ALPENA, MICHIGAN.

CHAIR ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

Application filed March 19, 1908. Serial No. 422,048.

ment is adapted, when not' in use, to be swung and retained against the back so as to be out of the way of persons passing between rows of chairs, and is preferably equipped with convenient program-holding appurtenances and also with divisions for the reception and advantageous display of advertisements, announcements and thelike.

With the foregoing in mind, the invention will be fully understood from the following description `and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, acf companying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view illustrating our novel attachment on a chair and as ready for use. Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section showing the attachment in its idle positionz'. c., as folded and secured against the back of the chair; the said section being on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken in the plane indicated by the line 343 of Fig. 2, looking downward, and illustrating by dotted lines the manner'in which the platform is supported, and by full lines the manner in which the platform is confined in a position adjacent to the chair back.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views'of the drawings, referring to which:

A is a chair which per se forms no part of our invention and which, therefore, may' be of any construction consonant with the purpose of the invention.

B is the platform comprised in our novel attachment. The said platform is of wood, metal or other appropriate material, andv is hinged at a to the back of the chair and hence is capable of being swung from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, and vice versa. It will also at this point be noted that the platform is capable of being swung forward beyond the perpen-V frear of the said back,

dicular so as to be better out of the way of persons passing at the back of the chair, in which position the said platform is designed to be retained through the medium of means hereinafter described.

For the purpose of supporting and maintaining the platform B in the position shown in Fig. l and of securing the said platform in the position shown in Fig. 2 and by full lines in Fig. 3, we provide oneor two, preferably two,.platform controllers C; one of the said controllers being shown at the left of Fig. land the other being shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These controllers are identical in `construction and therefore a detailed description of the one shown in Figs. 2 and 3 will suffice vto impart a definite understanding of both. The said controller C, Figs. 2 and 8, comprises a resilient strip o, preferably of steel, and a-body c, of metal, wood, or other suitable material, on the free or swinging or laterally movable portion of the strip o; the inner side of the said body-z'. c., the side presented to the side edge of the plat form B, being tapered in opposite directions to permit of the said edge being moved under stress past it in opposite directions. The strip b is connected in suitable manner to the chair back, preferably to the inner side of one side bar thereof, and the body c, which is preferably globular, is disposed slightly in and consequently it will be manifest that when the platform B is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 between the globular body c and the chair back, the platform will be retained in such position by the said globular body. It will also be manifest that when the platform B is raised or swung upwardly it will press or crowd the globular body c laterally outward and'passing the said globular body, which is permitted to move outward by the resiliency `of its strip b and is then moved inward to the position shown by said strip, will assume a position above the inner portion of the globular body as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. In this latter position-z1 c., the raised position shown in Fig. l, the platform will be supported by the globular body and this in such manner` that there is no liability of the platform casually falling back to the position shown in Fig. 2. When, however, it is desired to return the platform to its idle position it is simply necessary for a person to eXert downward pressure on the platform sufficient to enable said platform to crowd or press the globular body outward and pass the same, or else such person may grasp the globular lbody and move the same outward and clear of the adjacent edge of the platform. In either case the platform may manifestly be swung down to the position shown in Fig. Q and by full lines in lFig. 3 in which position it will be retained by the globular body in such manner as to preclude Aits accidentally swinging in a, direction away from the chair back.

Un the face or upper side of the platform B and grouped about the center thereof we preferably provide divisions al for the reception of advertising cards, announcements and the like, and on said center of the plat- -form we preferably tix a pocket D in which may be placed a program, while on the pocket we prefer to provide clips E of spring metal or other suitable material, disposed as shown, relative to the pocket. Thus it will be seen that a person sitting back of the chair 'A may remove the program from the pocket D and secure the same in convenient view under one or both of the clips E. lWe would also have it understood that in the discretion of the manufacturer of our improvements a mirror F may be provided on the face of the pocket D in which a woma located in rear of the chair A may conveniently view herself.

lith a View of preventing soiling or other deterioration of the advertisements or announcements in the divisions d we prefer to cover the face of the plat-form B, around the pocket D, with a plate of glass G.

The pocket D is shown in Fig. Q on an enlarged scale, but when the said pocket is properly -proportioned as vbetter shown in Fig. l, it will be apparent that the pocket will offer no material projection in rear of the platform when the latter is in its idle position, and hence will not be liable to catch into the dress of a person passing at the back of the chair.

`It will be Igathered from the foregoing that our improvementsare simple and inexpensive, and when neatly made and embellished are calculated to enhance rather than detract from the finished appearance of the average theater or opera chair; and it will also be gathered that the advertisements which may be placed on the face of the platform B will likely prove a source of profit.

The construetimi herein shown and described constitutes the best practical einbodi ment of our invention of which we are cognizant, but it is obvious that in the future practice of the invention such changes in the form, construction, and relative arrangement of parts may be made as fairly fall within the scope of our invention as detined .in the claims appended.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire 't o secure b v Letters-lettera, is:

l. The combination of a chair having a back, a. platform connected with and ar ranged to swing vertically on the chair haelt, and a controller eomprisii'ig a laterally resili ent strip xed to and extending rearwardly from the chair back and disposed in a ver tical plane at one side of the platform, and a body xed with respect to the said resilient strip and having a side which normally e.\'- tends inwardly beyond the vertical plane of one side edge of the platform and is tapered in opposite directions, whereby said body is enabled to support the platform and to retain the samein a` depending position without interfering with the platform being moved i under stress past the body in either direction.

2. rllhe combination of a chair having a back, a. platform connected with and arranged to swing vertically on the chair barili. and a controller comprising a laterally resilient strip fixed to and extending rearwardly from the chair back and disposed in a vertical plane at one side of the platform. and a glolnilar body fixed on the said resilient. strip; the inner portion of the said globular body normally extending inward beyond the vertical plane of one side edge of the platform, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I'IRRY L. BROAD. FRE DlllllC/l( ll'. (llttlll'll'lh fitness sz L. N. l\l.\ci\r.rn\n, O. lV. lilsiror. 

